The present invention generally relates to viewing apparatus, more particularly in a preferred form, to viewing apparatus for weaponry, and in most preferred forms to viewing apparatus for sight aiming weaponry.
Weaponry such as rifles, shotguns, handguns, and bows is currently affixed with one type of open sighting or another and is quite often affixed with special optical lenses, scopes, etc., which in effect are designed to aid viewing by magnification of a particular viewed object for the purpose of better aiming and placement of a discharged projectile from said weaponry. Although in many instances magnification is the preferred method of sighting distant targets, it is in many instances used in situations where over or under focusing can cause magnification too extreme or insufficient for many types of weaponry usage such as woodland, swamp and brush hunting or just a short yardage situation in which open sights would present a more acceptable view. Another downfall of using optical lenses for magnification of a viewed object is condensation which can develop in extreme cold or inclement weather within the enclosed tubular structure. Further, with said open sights now furnished on weaponry, it is necessary to have good lighting at the time of aim or a lighted background to the viewing area so that the currently used open sights can be aligned properly. Also, distant shots are more difficult to execute with accuracy and the blotting out of part of the target at even acceptable distances makes for unprecise shooting.
This invention relates then to the incorporation of the advantages of the two most widely used means of aiming a weapon. It is further designed to eliminate the downfalls of both open sight aiming and optical lens magnification aiming and at the same time incorporate more important factors not found in either aforementioned methods of aiming at a viewed object, such as quickly establishing a target area at close range because of the separation of the desired target area from its surroundings. The invention is also unaffected by weather conditions and can improve aiming capability in darkened conditions. It is also an aid in identifying the distance of a viewed object.